BATTLE CREEK, MI (WTVB) – The Calhoun County Health Department has issued a sobering report on opioid related deaths in the county, calling it an epidemic.
The report states opioid-related deaths in Calhoun County have nearly doubled Michigan’s 2018 rate.
The death rate in Calhoun County is 36.4 per 100,000 residents compared to the state death rate of 20.4 per 100,000 residents.
The report went on to say illicitly manufactured fentanyl is posing a serious public health threat in Calhoun County. The number of fentanyl-related deaths in Calhoun County went up from six in 2015 to 38 in 2018.
It was suggested that the opioid epidemic can be addressed through prevention and education, supply and control of opioids, treatment and harm reduction.
The complete report can be found at www.calhouncountymi.gov.
